Rhamnolipids are natural glycolipids (hybrid molecules of a carbohydrate and a lipid) that can be produced by the fermentation of Pseudomonas species and other organisms. The natural rhamnolipids produced from such fermentation are useful biosurfactants having an array of potential applications. However, the fermentation product is generally a mixture of many compounds, some of which are more useful than others. Also, the fermentation products can have limited uses based on their chemical structures.
Rhamnolipids include a rhamnose group. In its natural form, rhamnose is present as an L-form sugar. Sugars have chirality that is generally named by the spatial configuration of its atoms, as either L-form or D-form. Rhamnose's natural occurrence as an L-form sugar is rarer, as most natural sugars are in the D-form. Commercially, rhamnose is isolated from oak bark, citrus peel, and other plants and is presently used in some anti-wrinkle creams. However, obtaining rhamnose from these plant materials is labor intensive because in these sources, rhamnose is a minor component that is bound to, and associated with, complex materials.
Thus, a need in the art exists for novel compounds made from rhamnolipids. Such compounds can serve as biosurfactants. A need in the art also exists for novel processes for obtaining materials derived from rhamnolipids.